


sunlit

by minium



Series: ATLA Rewatch Drabbles [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Episode: s01e03 The Southern Air Temple, Gen, Introspection, Relationship Study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25724785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minium/pseuds/minium
Summary: And Gyatso knew how keenly these days wouldn’t last.
Relationships: Aang & Gyatso
Series: ATLA Rewatch Drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1865917
Kudos: 13





	sunlit

Streaming in suddenly, the sky cast over no longer. Lighting on their hands meeting in the middle, starkly lit was the difference in their size. Startled, Gyatso turned towards that changed view. After days and days of nothing but grey as far as reach, the clouds had finally receded, revealing that brilliant, _shining_ sun.

So lost inside his own mire, only the tugging on his hands broke attention. Aang’s eyes shone luminous; under wick, it was no match. Light casting, _chasing_ — hopelessly behind, that figure suddenly unknown, far from his reach. Ultimately unknowable, he was; Gyatso, more than anyone else, keenly knew this truth. These days wouldn’t last forever, couldn’t linger on; this expanse of endless blue was nothing but dusked illusion. And Aang hadn’t been and will never be— owed to him in the first place.

( _Oh, but how selfish he wanted to be._ )

“You’ll let me pick out a bison today? Right? Right? You promised, Gyatso!” Hope lit a fervor, and his heart swayed with the force of it.

Gyatso, allowing his weight to ease, found himself pulled into and pushed with that current irresistible. An expression of triumph reigned over that sun-lit face. “Now, Aang. You know that the age requirement—”

Flickering, fluttering away, yet still— never _dimming_ , Aang was— “But I passed my Mastery. And I’d take such good care of him, Gyatso. You can trust me. Please. Please. _Please_ —” —the only thing he had ever come to believe in with full-heart, full-soul.

At that hopelessly desperate expression, Gyatso could tease no longer. “This must remain a secret between the two of us.” Flowing over, this tide— _it couldn’t be stemmed._

Constantly afraid of scrutiny, of realization—

“So I can. Woohoo!” He cheered, spinning once, twice, and again, before reaching out and pulling Gyatso into his orbit again and again and—

— just them, was all he ever wanted anymore.

Even within the reaches of plotting, of turning his back on everything, on anything, with one glance at matched eyes and he—

And Gyatso knew how keenly these days wouldn’t last.

— _yearned._

( _Selfishness wasn’t a virtue, but he was a man drowning, diving under-lit._ )


End file.
